The former Pussycat Doll has joined the pair - who are old friends but also rivals from American Idol - on the US X Factor judging panel, and told Marie Claire magazine it's "a roller-coaster ride".

Scherzinger said: "I'm the luckiest person to get a front-row ticket to the Simon and Paula show. This whole thing has felt like a roller-coaster ride."

The Don't Hold Your Breath singer revealed she even shares a dressing room with her fellow X Factor judges.

She said: "Simon calls it the judges' lounge - everything's open - so we all goof around, eat, and get ready in the same place."

The 33-year-old star - who won a place in the girl group Eden's Crush after competing in the 2001 reality show Popstars - feels she has earned her place on the panel, alongside Cowell 51, Abdul, 49, and LA Reid, 55.

Scherzinger said: "I've fought my way to where I am and will continue to do so. I'm a hard worker. When I believe in something I go after it. It's very hard to tell me 'no'."

The singer admitted leaving the Pussycat Dolls to go solo had been difficult, but she has achieved her dream with her debut album Killer Love.

She said: "With the Pussycat Dolls, I had four other girls to fall back on - we were a gang, a team, and that gives you extra confidence. Now I'm bringing it all on my own."